WMU Alumnus, Military and Commercial Pilot, WMU Benefactor
WMU College of Aviation Hall of Honor Class of 2012
Colonel(R) Richard Andrew Sperling was born in Elmhurst, Illinois on July 4th, 1942. After graduating from Western Michigan University as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in June 1965, he entered the US Army where he became a helicopter pilot. During his military career Col. Sperling earned numerous awards including the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal w/22 OLC and a Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism when rescuing a downed aircrew in Vietnam. His career in the Army and Army Reserves spanned 30 years, eventually retiring at the rank of Colonel. As a civilian, Col. Sperling was a commercial pilot with United Airlines, flying Boeing 737, 747, 757 and 767 aircraft until his retirement on August 1st, 2002. After retirement he continued to share his passion for aviation as a Boy Scout’s Aviation Merit Badge Counselor and EAA Young Eagles Coordinator. The “Colonel Richard A. Sperling Distinguished Service Cross Endowed Scholarship” at WMU was established to provide students aviation opportunities. This scholarship assists Army ROTC cadets pursuing an Aviation Flight Science degree at the WMU College of Aviation.